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What can you do when your QuickBooks Data File is too large?
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Your QuickBooks file |
Is QuickBooks hogging up your resources? Slowing you down?
We can help reduce your file to 20% of its original size |

New QuickBooks Data
File |
QuickBooks has worked well for your business but the file is becoming too big to work with.
What is considered big?
- Files over 300 MB can begin to slow you
down. If it is not too slow, then it is not too big!
When you start experiencing slowness, check out our tips below and
plan to begin a new data file.
Does making a change to my data mean I will
lose that data forever?
- No. Just like an Excel file or a
Word file, you can copy, paste & rename your data file so that you
can access the data file anytime you want to retrieve that
information. Its best to change both the outside file name and the
inside file name (and possibly the color background of the file)
to make sure no-one enters data into that old file in error.
All new data should be entered into the new file. We can help you
accomplish this task remotely in less than 1/2 hour.
Call 800-216-0763.
You can:
- Upgrade to QuickBooks Enterprise, purchase
a new POWERFUL dedicated server just for running QuickBooks and
use Terminal services. When a user is accessing QuickBooks through
terminal services, the data and software are residing on the same
computer, providing a quicker reaction time since the data does
not need to go through the network. While there is no
recommend top file size, we see performance issues when the file
exceeds 1 Gig, although we have plenty of companies
running with the same file (experience some slowness but not yet
painful) until it reaches close to 2 Gigs. We
sell and support QuickBooks Enterprise,
Call 800-216-0763 to speak with our GURU Certified QuickBooks
Enterprise solution provider.
- Condense/archive (clean-up) the data file.
This technique will reduce your file size by approximately 20%.
More for versions 2012 or later (if you do so before the file
reaches 700 MG) It can be
a temporary alternative when it is inconvenient to start a new
data file now. It will replace your detailed transactions
with monthly general journal entries for the period you are
condensing. File menu > Utilities > Clean up company data.
Be sure to backup before running this procedure. In fact,
its a good idea to copy the file so you can easily return to the
pre-condensed file if you need to retrieve detailed data.
Starting with the QuickBooks 2012 edition, this feature has
improved greatly.
Download the current edition of QuickBooks now
QuickBooks Pro
QuickBooks Premier
QuickBooks Enterprise
(call 800-216-0763 for upgrade pricing)
If
you would like help with this procedure, call us at 800-216-0763.
- If the file after condense is still not
small enough, we can start a new data file by copying your
existing file and performing a period copy of just the
transactions you wish to keep, and reset the opening balances. This
works well if you are starting a new file in a new year. It can be
time consuming if you have a lot of accounts receivable and
accounts payable transactions. If you would like help with this
procedure, call 800-216-0763.
We have a support plan that will coach you through this process.
At the first signs of slowness, plan to start a new file for the
1st day of your new year. You can do it yourself, use our coaching
services or use our new file start services. Included
is a new file using existing lists items and beginning balances
including accounts receivable and payable details, optional
is one or more years of historical data.
- Request our QuickBooks Large File
Conversion Service (800-216-0763) to start a new file anytime
during the year or at year end. Over a weekend, we will take your
existing data file, eliminate all transactions and import balances
from 12/31/last year (or the last day of your prior fiscal
year) and all transactions from 1/1/this year through
today and import into the new file. Works well for companies
with large file sizes. For companies using a QuickBooks payroll
service, year-to-date history will need to be added. We can
provide this service too, for an additional fee.
- Request our New Start QuickBooks File.
When your list items (Customers, Vendors, Items) have become
unmanageable and you want a new start, or, your file has been
showing signs of a corrupt database (crashing, failing to backup,
and you have worked with Intuit to try and resolve the problem).
We will start a brand new QuickBooks file, importing only your active
Customers, Vendors, Employees, Accounts plus your beginning
balances and all your transactions from the first of the year.
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Tips to make your existing large QuickBooks data file run faster:
Each of the following preferences changes must be performed within each Users
QuickBooks sign on.
- Keeping many windows open within
QuickBooks while you work, will slow down the speed in which
QuickBooks operates. Close open windows (in QuickBooks) that you
are through with. To see how many windows are open,
Click on the view menu> Open windows list. Keep this open on
the left side of your screen. When you are through with
tasks/reports that are currently open, go to the Window menu > and
Choose close all

- QuickBooks performance can be impeded by
A chart of accounts with a large number of sub-accounts- will
class tracking help? Call us for more information.
An Item list with a large number of sub-items
A large transaction log file (TLG extension) - do a regular backup
in single user mode (weekly) from within QuickBooks to keep this from being a non-issue.
A Customer list with a large number of jobs (time to plan to start
a new data file)
- Google desktop, an application that can be
installed with QuickBooks indexes the QuickBooks file for
lookup/search purposes. But it takes an awful lot of your computer
resources, so un-install it. Start menu > Programs > Google
desktop > select Uninstall Google Desktop - or from your control
panel > add/remove programs > Select Uninstall Google Desktop >
Remove.
- Set up reports to display the date range
first (modify report window) so that you are not needlessly
running reports twice
Edit menu > preferences > reports > check the box "prompt me to
modify report options before opening a report"
Also check "don't refresh", if indeed, you keep a report open for
easy access while doing a lot of data entry. Run reports
during off hours.
- Consider turning off the QuickBooks
warning that displays when you try to record a bill that has the
same reference number as an existing bill from the same vendor.
Checking the existing numbers causes QuickBooks to take more time
to record a bill and may affect performance significantly. You
will need to weigh the performance issue with the need to have
this preference turned on.
Edit menu > preferences > bills > uncheck the box "warn about
duplicate bill numbers from same vendor
- Be sure to defrag the server and the
affected workstation. It is normal to have large Database file
fragments if
you are using RAID
- To speed up the initial opening of
QuickBooks, you can set QuickBooks Preferences to NOT open the
home page and to NOT remember what windows you had open last time
you worked within QuickBooks.
Edit menu > preferences > Desktop View > click on the radial
button "don't save the desktop", and uncheck Show home page when
opening a company file.
Creating a portable company file and
restoring that portable company file as your working file will
re-index the file which should improve performance as well.
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We can help coach your through these
processes that will maximize performance for a Slow - Large
QuickBooks data file or we can reduce the
size of your QuickBooks File for you, call 800-216-0763 to speak with our experts.
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